October 2012 Page 3
www.thesoutherncross.org.au
The
Southern Cross
news |
By Rebecca DiGirolamo
Fifteen years in the South Australian
Police Force have exposed Detective
Brevet Sergeant Mark Sheehy to at
least a dozen sudden infant deaths
leaving him determined to try and make
a difference.
“The sudden death of a young child
is quite traumatic,” says Detective
Sheehy, a parishioner of the Cathedral
Parish and father of four. “Attending
the deaths of infant children is part of
my duties as a detective and it really
makes you appreciate life and your own
children,” he says. “It makes you want
to contribute towards helping people
affected by SIDS (Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome) move through their loss.”
Detective Sheehy is president of SIDS
and Kids South Australia and director of
the national body. He joined the group
six years ago after working closely with
SIDS and Kids SA during a number of
investigations involving infant deaths.
Last month Detective Sheehy and fellow
police officer Senior Constable Dan
Lacey embarked on a 1200-km round-
trip motorcycle ride from Adelaide to
Port Lincoln hoping to raise $10,000 for
education and bereavement support
programs for those affects by SIDS.
Sen-Constable Lacey was told five
years ago of the sudden infant death of
a sister he never knew he had. She had
died at 10 days old before he was born.
“Mum never really talked about it but
told me about my baby sister who was
laid to rest in Tennant Creek,” he says.
“It must have been so hard for Mum to
deal with and would have been such a
terrible tragedy for Mum.”
For five days from September 17,
the pair travelled through Melrose,
Port Augusta and Whyalla to Port
Lincoln raising awareness of SIDS and
collecting donations through events
supported by emergency services, local
schools and Port Lincoln mum Tarlia
Bartsch who is fighting to change laws
to recognise stillborn births under 20
weeks.
In Adelaide, more than $700 was raised
by St Joseph’s Memorial School, in
Norwood, through a Father’s Day
Breakfast in August.
The pair is planning another fundraising
ride next year to Tennant Creek to visit
the gravesite of Sen-Constable Lacey’s
sister.
SIDS and Kids is dedicated to saving
the lives of babies and children during
pregnancy, birth, infancy and childhood
and supporting bereaved families. In
Australia each year over 3,500 families
experience the sudden and unexpected
death of a baby or child, either through
stillbirth or during the first month of
life, from sudden unexpected death
in infancy (SIDS or fatal sleeping
accidents), SUDC (sudden unexpected
death in childhood) or accidents. There
is no known cause for many of these
deaths.
To donate to “Ride for Kids” visit
www.everydayhero.com.au/ride_for_
kids_SA or contact SIDS and Kids SA
on 8369 0155.
Brighton parish priest Monsignor Ian Dempsey
returned to ministry last month, one year on from
the controversial naming of him by Senator Nick
Xenophon under parliamentary privilege.
The Vicar General, Father Philip Marshall, said
Monsignor Dempsey’s resumption of ministry
was supported by the Archbishop on the
basis that an independent investigation by Mr
Michael Abbott QC had found no substance to
allegations made against him by the former head
of the Traditional Anglican Communion, John
Hepworth, and that it was evident subsequent
inquiries by police could take some time to be
completed.
“His return to ministry, which is founded on his
right to the presumption of innocence, does not
contravene any of the Church’s policies or any
civil requirements, therefore there was no reason
for him not to resume his parish duties,”
Fr Marshall said.
Mgr Dempsey was welcomed back by Brighton
parishioners at the 6pm Vigil Mass and 10am
Sunday Mass on the weekend of September
15/16 and received a long round of applause at
the commencement of both services.
He thanked the congregation for their prayers
and support and said he was very happy to be
back in ministry.
Hepworth, who has accused Mgr Dempsey of
sexual assault 40 years ago, was removed as
primate of the TAC in January this year and has
since been suspended as a member of the TAC
College of Bishops.
Continued from page 1.
Director of Catholic Education Paul Sharkey
said that principals, parents and colleagues in
the independent sector were working closely
together to ensure that non-Government schools
were treated fairly in the funding arrangements
currently being negotiated by the State and
Federal governments.
“We welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment
to increased funding for all schools, including
non-government schools, but our parents and
principals need to know exactly how much
funding will be coming to each of our schools,”
said Dr Sharkey.
“We need to be able to tell our school
communities just what the new funding
arrangements will mean for each family and
student.”
The Association of Independent Schools chief
executive, Garry Le Duff, said the Federal
Government was “strong on vision, passion and
rhetoric but worryingly weak on detail”. He said
a priority had to be indexation of government
funding that meets the real increases of the cost
of education.
Dr Sharkey said the Catholic and independent
sectors were having ongoing discussions with
the State Government to ensure that the 2010
pre-election promise to lift South Australia from
the bottom level of funding in Australia was
honoured. He said that the next six months of
negotiation at state and national levels would
be particularly critical in terms of ensuring a fair
outcome for students.
To view a video about Catholic school
funding, click here. http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=V33EqyuWjkE
Making
his mark
Critical time for
school funding
Dempsey
back in
ministry
LONG ROAD: Detective Brevet Sergeant Mark Sheehy, a parishioner of St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, rode his
motorcycle from Adelaide to Port Lincoln last month to raise much needed funds for support programs for those
affected by Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Photo: Nat Rogers